Chapter 23- a defiant Elf and something among us
While the quest-goers departed Cair Paravel to begin their quests of gathering the remaining eight exclusive ingredients for the antidote to treat High King Peter and cure his poisoning (the ninth ingredient, the one from Bism having been taken care of by Wan the Kumiho and his group), in the interrogation room in the catacombs of the castle, Pettigrew's interrogation was underway and carrying out the interrogation this time was Chrystós, the Gold-Fleeced Sheep and Puss-in-Boots with General Biter, the T-Rex general of the Four Monarchs' soldier Talking Dinosaurs. Pettigrew, who had been put into a cage, was still in agony from the Platypus poison from Ovide who inflicted him with it during the skirmish and the Rokurokubi, Xenojaw and the Stinger-Rat who had been captured along with the Elf were kept in the other cage, also ready for interrogation but the main focus was the Elf himself as he was the leader of one of the kidnapper groups and the same group behind the kidnapping of Malachite's group in addition. However, despite the lingering pain from the Talking Platypus venom, Pettigrew remained as stubborn as a Stone Giant against a simple shield from a small creature and he scowled at his interrogators in defiance. To add, his replies to their questions were laced with it.
"Do you know where in the Eastern Ocean those boatmen allies of yours are taking the victims you and your comrades have captured, Pettigrew?" asked Chrystós in a low and deadly voice.
"No idea," replied the Elf defiantly, his face laced with it locked solidly with the Gold-Fleeced Ram's.
"Are whoever are receiving your kidnapped victims allied with your Mistress the White Witch?" asked Chrystós.
"I don't know what you are talking about," came out of the defiant Elf's mouth. Chrystós then tried another question, only to receive another defiant answer of "I don't know" from the stubborn Elf. As this happened, Puss exchanged an irritating glare with General Biter.
"I would have literally bitten that Elf's head off if I was interrogating him," grumbled the T-Rex general in irritation.
"That hobgoblin servant of the Witch certainly is like a stuck Earth music device our Majesties call a record," replied Puss in agreement, before the partial Talking Cat's glare turned to Chrystós as he continued to question the Elf, "I'm amazed at how patient he is with our prisoner."
General Biter looked on as Chrystós continued to interrogate Pettigrew in wonder. However, looks can be deceiving. While Chrystós does look patient with Pettigrew, on the inside, the Gold-Fleeced Ram's fire was getting higher with each splash of fuel from the Elf's defiant "I don't know" or-equivalent replies, and t Ram's patience was rapidly running out like sand in an hourglass. However, Chrystós kept his composure and refused to allow his anger and ever-increasing impatience to show. But then he did but in a controlled manner after Pettigrew replied with another defiant "I don't know" when he clearly knew the answers to the questions. Raising the tip of his sword and aiming it threateningly at Pettigrew's face, Chrystós began to issue a deadly warning.
"We know you are allied with those boatmen, Elf and the evidence is too overwhelming to be denied," growled the Ram in a voice tone that sounded like a Big Cat snarling, before threat crept in, "If you will NOT co-operate, there will be DIRE consequences."
"Like what, Golden-Fleeced Goat-Face whose wool would make a perfect garment for my one true Queen?" replied Pettigrew mockingly. Then Puss-in-Boots stepped forward.
"How about being put through some serious torture to get ya t' talk, Pettigrew?" growled the part-Talking Cat threateningly.
"Puss, back down, cool your temper and let me deal with this," commanded Chrystós calmly, which Puss obediently did. Then the Ram returned to face the Elf. "You are seriously putting your life on the line, Elf, but we have sworn NOT to kill you until you tell us whereabouts your boatmen allies have taken your victims out in the Eastern Ocean, AND if you willingly surrender after that."
"I'm tellin' ya I ABSOLUTELY DON'T KNOW, Dumb Fleece-Beast," replied Pettigrew defiantly.
"Unacceptable answer and a BIG FAT lie, Elf. Like we've said, we know full well you are allied with those boatmen and are enlisting their help to ship your kidnapped victims out to sea from the beach near here with your comrades," said General Biter, "Now tell us, or we WILL use force."
Chrystós and Puss and the other interrogators including Ovide the Talking Platypus then hardened their demanding glares at the Elf as he prepared to answer this question. From the other cage, the Rokurokubi, the Xenojaw and the Stinger-Rat looked on. Then the former creature began to stretch her neck to extend her head through the bars but one of the Velociraptors jumped up and snapped his jaws at the Hag-like Yokai into returning her head into the cage.
"You extend your head out of that cage an' you'll receive a NASTY claw mark to the face, ya filthy Hag," snarled the Velociraptor threateningly and with that, he raised a foot and showed the creature the long sickle-shaped talon, the signature weapon of the Velociraptors and other Theropods. The Rokurokubi flinched and reluctantly complied. Then Pettigrew gave his answer. But not the sort Chrystós and the others were hoping for.
"If only the one true Goddess of the Highlands and of Narnia were still here, you good-for-nothin' maggots who believe in the oversized, flea-bitten messy-haired Cat," said the Elf, his defiance rearing its ugly head once again. Chrystós then turned to General Biter, Puss and Ovide but particularly the latter.
"Summon your male comrades, Ovide," commanded the Ram. The Platypus nodded, flashed Pettigrew a glare and left to carry out the command. Chrystós then turned to the Elf, his face twisted into a frustrated scowl, his patience finally drained dry.
"If that Elf won't talk and give us answers, we'll have to do it for him... via the HARD way," he said nonchalantly and without sympathy to his comrades. General Biter and Puss, especially the latter, nodded in agreement. That clearly did the trick and it smashed through Pettigrew's stubborn wall of defiance like a swing of a Giant Troll's club. Pettigrew quivered timidly but it was already too late. Talking Platypus venom was EXTREMELY painful and in large doses can be INCREDIBLY debilitating. One dose of the venom was bad enough as it was but this was WAY worse. In the other cage, the Rokurokubi, the Xenojaw and the Stinger-Rat began to protest but they were barked at to shut up by the Velociraptors lest they want to be put through the same torture as their leader and that will NOT be good for the Rokurokubi for Platypus venom was deadly to them and their completely-head-detachable cousins, the Nukekubi. One does was enough to be fatal to them and some Rokurokubi and Nukekubi died agonising deaths in the Battle of Beruna when some male Platypus soldiers jabbed them with their ankle spurs and envenomated them. Then Chrystós and company prepared Pettigrew for 'the hard way' as Ovide went to fetch his male Platypus comrades. After all, the Elf's defiance in giving answers regarding the destination of his kidnapped victims including Malachite and company had gone far enough.
While Pettigrew was being prepared for torture via Platypus stings and venom in the interrogation room, outside and at the entrance, a group of Talking Beasts, among them Alcina the Three-Tailed Fox, were keeping watch. A Dome-Headed Dinosaur, the technical name of this Dinosaur species being Pachycephalosaurus which was rarely used due to the name not only being hard to pronounce, but hard to remember as well, watched the receding masses of certain groups of certain Animals and people from atop a small hill.
"There go the quest-goers, folks," said he, "Hopefully they will return safe and well with the exclusive ingredients for the antidote for our High King."
"It's not gonna be an easy task for any of them, I can tell you," said one of the Stegasaurs, "I've heard that the Forbidden Cave of the Treasure of Vanity on the Narnian Moon and Martian and his group's home place, which is the ONLY place where those Lunar Mushrooms can be harvested, is INCREDIBLY dangerous."
"It's full of all kinds of the treasure you'd normally find at a non-talking Dragon's den," said another Stegasaur, a female, "such as gold, gold plates and ingots, jewels of the rarest sorts..."
"Yes and that treasure is forbidden to touch but the temptation to try and steal ANY of it is INCREDIBLY strong," said a Talking Babookari, "According to Martian, any visitors that succumb to the temptation via their greed and attempted to take some of the treasure for their personal gain wound up having the Cave being their final place, along with their comrades."
"TRULY an example of letting your greed and vanity get the better of you such that it can kill you," said another Dome-Headed Dinosaur, a female, "No wonder that Cave is named the Forbidden Cave of the Treasure of Vanity. Martian wasn't kidding about that place being deadly. Greed is as deadly and as fatal as Manticore venom."
"We Stegasaurs actually have a proverb amongst ourselves about greed," said another Stegasaur, "Messing with the venomous Greed-Snake will guarantee a bite."
"True indeed," said the Babookari with the others uttering murmurs of agreement. Alcina also showed her agreement to the proverb via a murmur. Then the Babookari turned to the colourful Three-Tailed Fox.
"By the way, Alcina," the Monkey resembling a cross between a Uakari and a Baboon said, "Have you been following me to the orchard where I was going to pick some apples for my wife to bake into an apple pie tonight? Someone has been doing just that."
"Why are you asking me that, Rustie?" asked Alcina at this question, "I-I-I was going through the orchard but the only thing I was doing was talking a walk as a break from the stresses of what's been happening, like with High King Peter getting poisoned and all that."
"There's no denying it, Alcina," said the Babookari named Rustie, "I saw a shadowy figure behind me lurking in some bushes while I was picking some apples."
"Was the form four-footed?" asked a Stegasaur. Then a Velociraptor guard came in, a dismissing look on his face.
"It's probably been a Dumb Squirrel looking for some nuts or something," he said, "There are plenty of them non-Talking rodents around here."
"That form was too big for it to have been a non-talking squirrel," said Rustie. Then Alcina breathed a sigh and walked away.
"Well, whatever that form was, it wasn't me, I can tell you," said the colourful Fox. Rustie and the others looked on and shrugged. Then another Dome-Headed Dinosaur turned his face in the direction of the interrogation room inside the catacombs.
"I wonder how Chrystós and the others are doing with that defiant Elf and three of his comrades in there," said the Reptilian Talking Beast. The others paralleled their gazes with his into the catacombs and breathed sighs. Then two Dome-Headed Dinosaurs left the group to return to the small hill to watch the last of the quest-goers depart in the distance.
Back in the interrogation room, Pettigrew in his cage was surrounded by a group of male Talking Platypuses including Ovide. These bizarre Mammals resembling a chimera of a variety of animals such as ducks and otters and possessing venom like a snake, the ability to electro-locate like sharks and, in females, the ability to lay leathery eggs like reptiles, were all turned with their tails facing the Elf and their hind feet raised. On the ankle of each foot was a spike and those spikes were impregnated with venom like a viper's fangs. Pettigrew quivered at the sight of these venomous spurs. Chrystós, Puss, General Biter and the rest of the group looked on without sympathy as one of the Velociraptors brandished a sheet of paper.
"Last chance, Elf," said the Gold-Fleeced Ram unsympathetically, "Or those Platypus' ankle spurs will be plunging into your flesh and injecting their venom into you to cause you even more SERIOUS agony."
A gulp sound came from Pettigrew as he gazed at the circle of raised hind Platypus feet, each ankle armed with a venom-laced spike poised to stab into him. Then the Velociraptor came forward and showed Pettigrew the sheet of paper with the same picture of that turtle shell-shaped object seen by other Narnians in the previous chapters.
"Do you know what this 'Metalburg' object is?" asked the little fleet-footed Dinosaur. Pettigrew stared at the picture in the Lizard's forelimb hands.
"We believe this Metalburg as we have dubbed it, could be an ocean vessel floating around out in the Eastern Ocean," growled General Biter. Pettigrew then stared at the picture of the 'Metalburg' while the Platypuses kept their hind feet raised and their ankle spurs poised to jab him. Chrystós glared at the Elf's face as he continued to stare at the picture of the Metalburg in the Velocirpator's hands, closely examining the Elf's facial expression for he had been trained in reading the faces of the foe to see if they were lying or telling the truth, or are familiar with something or not. Then after some time, the Elf finally gave an answer, but it was another defiant reply. "I don't know WHAT you are talking about OR what that thing is."
Chrystós, however, was NOT convinced and he could tell there was defiance in the Elf's tone of voice in his reply.
"I don't believe you, Pettigrew," he said, "I can tell you seem to recognise that object in that picture. We demand to know what you know about it."
"I'm tellin' ya I DON'T KNOW!" retorted Pettigrew angrily, agitation setting in and the desperate desire to be released flaring within him, "Oh I only WISH OUR GODDESS was STILL ALIVE..."
Chrystós then turned to General Biter, Puss and the others.
"I've had about enough of that Elf mentioning Jadis the White Witch all the time," the Gold-Fleeced Ram said, coldness in his voice clearly present, "and his defiance to co-operate," he turned his glare back to Pettigrew in his cage. The Rokurokubi, Xenojaw and the Stinger-Rat looked on from their cage as the Ram spoke to their comrade. "And that tells me one thing," Chrystós hardened his glare, "You're gonna have to face the hard way, Elf."
Timid whimpers emitted from Pettigrew's mouth as the male Talking Platypuses including Ovide prepared their ankle spurs one last time, ready to strike at Chrystós' command. And that command was imminent as the Gold-Fleeced Ram turned to these strange Mammals.
"Ovide, Platypuses," said he, "You know what to do."
However, before the first Platypus could plunge his ankle spur into Pettigrew to inflict him with agonising pain and envenomation, a bloodcurdling scream suddenly exploded from outside, making everyone including the prisoners jump. Puss shot the others a look.
"That were RUSTIE and his GUARD GROUP FROM OUTSIDE!" the partial Talking Cat yelled, "I HOPE..." but before the Talking Cat capable of walking on two legs could finish his sentence, a red, violet, purple and magenta Fox with three tails shot in and braked abruptly before the group, almost crashing into General Biter's leg to the T-Rex general's alarm.
"Hey, watch it, Alcina!" snarled the T-Rex angrily. Then the three-tailed Fox, Alcina gazed at the group with eyes inflated out of their sockets. Her colourful fur was puffed out like a frightened cat, her three tails bushy as though they were electrically charged, and she was trembling like a leaf.
"What's happened outside, Alcina!?" demanded Chrystós.
"It... it's TWO OF THE DOME-HEADED DINOSAURS," yelled the hysterical Kitsune Vixen in reply. Chrystós exchanged an alarmed look with Puss, General Biter and the others before making his decision.
"General Biter, you stay here with the Velociraptors and the Platypuses and keep an eye on the Elf and his three comrades," ordered the Gold-Fleeced Ram, "While Puss and I go outside to check on the guards."
"Okay, we'll continue the interrogation with Pettigrew while you see to that," said General Biter and with that, the group split apart.
"Take us to OUTSIDE THIS MINUTE, ALCINA!" shouted Chrystós urgently. Alcina nodded, turned tail and rushed off. However, she flashed one look back at Pettigrew as the Platypuses prepared their ankle spurs, but it lasted only a split-second due to the urgency of the situation. Hastily, she led Chrystós and Puss to the group outside.
The three hurried out of the interrogation room and to Rustie the Babookari's group but the moment they met them, Puss spotted the cause of the scream. Releasing a Cat screech of horror, he rushed over to the horrific scene which was two downed Dome-Headed Dinosaurs surrounded by some of their comrades, among them three of the Stegasaurs and more Dome-Headed Dinosaurs. The two downed Dome-Heads were not in good shape at all and it was a gruesome sight. Puss sprinted over to the group while Chrystós began to fire a barrage of questions at Rustie and company.
"WHAT HAPPENED OUT HERE!?" the Gold-Fleeced Ram demanded. At first, none of the group members answered for they were too stricken by what had happened to the Dome-Headed Dinosaurs to speak at first but finally, the Babookari came forward, albeit very shakily.
"Those two Dome-Headed Dinosaurs were standing on that hill over there watching the last of the quest-goers as they leave for their Nine-Realms Potion ingredient quests when all of a sudden..." the Babookari spoke. Then a Stegasaur finished his sentence. "We heard a slashing sound and the next thing we knew, we saw those two Dome-Head Dinosaurs topple like trees and howl in agony..."
"CALL THE MEDICS TO HERE NOW!" Puss' voice exploded into the air. Chrystós then rushed over to the group surrounding the two wounded Dome-Headed Dinosaurs as a Velociraptor took off like a startled rabbit to Cair Paravel castle's entrance to find said group. Alcina followed close behind the Gold-Fleeced Ram. Saying 'Excuse me' to the Dinosaurs surrounding the two casualties, Chrystós squeezed his way through the wall of mostly hulking Plate-Backed Reptiles and Dome-Headed Lizards until he finally came to the scene but the moment the Sheep arrived, a HORRIFIED gasp entered his mouth and he flinched. The two Dome-Headed Dinosaurs lay in agony in the grass, their hands clutching their injuries which were gashes like those inflicted from the swipe of a sword blade. One Dome Head appeared to have been slashed in the flank and the other, on the shoulder and both were losing blood at an alarming rate. Puss tried his paw at stemming the bleeding from the wounds of one of the Dome Heads. Chrystós then took in the type of wounds.
"Looks like those two Lizards have been slashed by a sword or other bladed weapon," said the Gold-Fleeced Sheep.
"But HOW!?" demanded a Stegasaur.
"They had been stood alone, away from us, when it happened," said Rustie who came in with the other group members.
"Then how did this happen?" demanded Chrystós.
"It looks like some invisible sword had struck them down," said another Stegasaur. Then one of the female Plate-Backed Dinosaurs began to sway. Three of the Dome-Headed Dinosaurs then rushed in to guide the heavy Beast to one side and guide her carefully down as faintness from the bloody sight of the two Dome Headed Dinosaur casualties took her over. Alcina watched on worriedly. Then moments later, another group, this time a group of Fauns, Centaurs, an Adlet and some small Rodents arrived. With them were another Kitsune, an ivory gold and metallic yellow Nine-Tailed Vixen, and a Little Green Man.
"Step aside, you lot and let us through," shouted the Kitsune and Chrystós and the others did so without hesitation to allow the medics through. As the medical group set to treating the two Dome Headed Dinosaurs and take them to the medical facility in the castle, the Nine-Tailed Vixen, Alestomeria began to question the group including Alcina.
"What happened?" she demanded. Rustie stepped forward to answer.
"We were simply doing our duty and those two Dome Headed Dinosaurs, Rock-Head and Spike, were simply standing on that little hill when all of a sudden, we heard a slashing sound and down those two went," said the Babookari. Suddenly, the voice of the Green Man, who was Martian, shouted Alestomeria's name, pulling the Nine-Tailed Fox in his and the medic team's direction. The other Dinosaurs kept their distance to allow the medical team to do their work on the two casualties but they were trembling and weeping for their two friends.
"What is it, Martian?" asked Alestomeria. The Little Green Man's face was laced with sternness at the seriousness of the cause of the wounds on the two Dome-Headed Dinosaurs.
"These slash injuries weren't from any sword or any other physical weapon," he said in a low and serious voice. He then commanded the medical group to carry the two wounded Dinosaurs to the medical quarters in the castle. As they set to this task, Martian walked towards Alestomeria, Chrystós, Rustie and the others with him, Puss following slowly behind. Behind Chrystós, Alcina peered out.
"Those slash injuries were caused by a sinister spell," continued the Green Man. That revelation sent horror ripping through Alestomeria and the others.
"The same sort some of Jadis' minions who trained under the dark magic arts under her, such as the Hags, the evil Nekomata and Nogitsune, used during the Age of Winter and in the Battle of Beruna," whispered the Nine-Tailed Vixen.
"Some flying creatures like a Griffin, Hippogriff, some Sphinxes, some Eagles and Owls and a Blue Windrunner had been cut down with that kind of spell during the latter," said Puss.
"What sort of spell is this?" asked a Stegasaur.
"It's a slashing spell that has the same effect as a swipe from a sword or other bladed weapon," explained Martian, "But from a distance. Just like the use of those wicked voodoo dolls, practitioners can literally cut their foes down without doing it up close," his face turned to the two Dome-Headed Dinosaur casualties as the medics carried them away to the castle entrance, "And because those two have become victims to the slashing spell, it is clear that you may have a surviving minion of Jadis lurking around here," the Little Green Man's voice then morphed into one of UTMOST urgency, "We MUST find that culprit and capture them and QUICKLY!"
Then an ENRAGED look formed on Chrystós' face. "Then that means we could have a Hag or other species that had trained in dark magic under the White Witch around here," he said. Then Alcina came forward.
"Well, it wasn't me," said the Three-Tailed Fox, "I'm innocent."
"Of course it wasn't you," snapped Rustie in irritation, "Now why don't you go and help General Biter and the others in there deal with that defiant Elf in the interrogation room or something?"
Alcina breathed an exasperated sigh at the Babookari's bossiness and left for said room. Then Chrystós turned to four of the Velociraptors present.
"You Velociraptors scour the bushes from where the slashing spell was cast and bring back ANY evidence you find," the Gold-Fleeced Ram commanded. The four Fleet-Footed Lizards nodded and obediently left to start the task. Then a Stegasaur came forward.
"The injured areas of the two Pachycephalosaurus (Dome-Headed Dinosaurs) had been facing those bushes when the spell was cast," said the hulking Plate-Backed Dinosaur and with that, he nodded his small head to said bushes where the four Velociraptors had gone to begin their search.
"Right, thanks, Spades," said Chrystós, "At least we have the first piece of evidence of the culprit's whereabouts."
"Well, let's hope that the Creator of Narnia, the Great Lion shows us this culprit sooner or later," said Martian, "Because I'm dreading the species of whoever had cast that slashing spell at those two Dome-Headed Dinosaurs," the Little Green Man's face turned to the bushes, "I sure hope it was a Hag or an evil Nekomata that is still loyal to Jadis but if that culprit is of the same species as you-know-who who managed to find Gandalf and Seresute's base during the Age of Winter down here..." he trailed off, not wanting to say the possible consequences. Alestomeria, Puss, Chrystós and the others looked at the Little Green Man before finally; they resumed their duties with some returning to the interrogation room to deal with Pettigrew who was, by now, at the mercy of the ankle spurs of Ovide and his Platypus comrades. And he WILL be forced to be honest about the destination of the kidnapped victims out into the Eastern Ocean, among them Malachite and company, based on this treatment. After all, he was behind Malachite and company's kidnapping and handing them to the boatmen on Cair Paravel Beach.